Dr. Chen attends on the Pulmonary Consult service and in the Medical Intensive Care Units at Boston Medical Center and Sturdy Memorial Hospital. She is a member of Dr. Wellington V. Cardoso’s lab.

The abnormalities of the developing respiratory system associated with retinoic acid (RA)-deficiency have been known for decades. However, the cellular and molecular events controlled by RA during lung development remain unclear. Dr. Chen’s research focuses on the various RA-dependent signaling mechanisms involved in primary lung bud formation. By using a combination of pharmacologic, genetic, and organ culture approaches, she has demonstrated the critical role of RA in controlling at least three major pathways, Tgf-beta, Wnt, and Fgf, to allow proper formation of the early lung. Currently, she’s investigating the role of retinoic acid in the differentiation of bronchial and vascular smooth muscles during lung development.

Special interests include:-Mechanisms of primary lung bud induction-Lung progenitor biology-Role of retinoic acid in early lung development-Lung injury and repair